Sea turtle protection would be stronger under new regulations affecting shrimpers

View full sizeIn this photo taken May 14, 2011, a Kemps ridley sea turtle with a tracking antennae applied to her shell with epoxy sits in the sand depositing eggs at Padre Island National Seashore National Park in south Texas. Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast shrimpers may face new restrictions because of the damage the industry is causing to threatened and endangered sea turtles, federal regulators announced Friday, June 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

NEW ORLEANS — Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast shrimpers may face new restrictions because of the damage the industry is causing to threatened and endangered sea turtles, federal regulators announced today.

The National Marine Fisheries Service said it would assess the damage shrimpers are causing to turtle populations. Many of the smaller shrimp boats that use skimmer trawls are not required to use special devices that enable turtles to swim away when they get caught in a net.

Between January and June, 379 sea turtles were found stranded along the Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana coastline, the NMFS said. Turtle deaths have been linked to shrimp nets and trawls.

Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for the NMFS, said regulators would look at requiring more shrimpers to add the turtle-saving gear to their nets. He said closing some areas to shrimping would be examined too, but he added that closing a fishery is "the last resort."

Environmental groups have put pressure on regulators to impose more restrictions on shrimpers. After shrimpers were blamed for a spate of turtle deaths during last year's BP PLC oil spill, environmentalists threatened to sue the NMFS unless it took steps to reduce the number of turtle deaths.

Chris Pincetich, of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, said shrimpers were flouting the law and unwilling to take responsibility for the industry's toll on turtles. His group is involved in legal efforts to force the NMFS to better protect sea turtles.

He charged that shrimpers sometimes sew up the escape hatches for the turtles so they don't lose shrimp.

"The lack of oversight and enforcement of the laws have resulted in this tragic loss of life for these endangered species," he said. "We're hoping the shrimp industry is closed until the laws are followed."

All sea turtles in U.S. waters are listed as either threatened or endangered. The Kemp's ridley is endangered and many of the dead turtles found along the northern Gulf belong to that species.

Shrimpers have protested new restrictions. On Wednesday, they held a rally at the state Capitol and blamed last year's oil spill on the spike in turtle deaths.

Crabtree said the number of turtle deaths is high. But he said investigators have not figured out what's causing the spike. He said that while shrimpers' nets kill turtles, dead turtles have also been found during times of "relatively low shrimp activity."

The agency said it will hold five public meetings between now and August to determine if new restrictions on nets and even closing areas to shrimping is warranted. Crabtree said any new rules would likely not be issued until next year.